Michael's Micro Adventure
by Twilight-Prince1002
Summary: A story based on Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness. Michael the hero has defeated Cipher and is now getting some rest. However, he finds out some Shadow Pokemon still exist and goes to rescue them, but a strange gas makes him see things anew...R&R, please!
1. Chapter 1

**Pokémon XD: Michael's Micro Adventure**

by Twilight-Prince

(Author's note: Since the game's hero never truly had an official name, at least not to my knowledge, I went with the name Michael, which was one of the set names you could choose for your hero at the beginning of the game. Just thought I'd clear that up in case of any confusion. Enjoy the story!)

The sun shone brightly yet calmly down on the Orre Region. Some various bird Pokémon flew over the Pokémon HQ Lab, chirping thier songs. Inside, we find our hero, Michael, who saved the world from a sinister group of villans known as Cipher about a month or so ago. Cipher was indeed a villanous group, for they had created what was known as Shadow Pokémon, which were Pokémon with thier hearts artificially closed, thus making them violent and reckless in nature, as well as possessing powerful moves like none other. Luckily, at the time, Professor Krane was studying this from a similar incident from about 5 years ago that involved the same organization. Thus, Krane made what was called a Snag Machine, which was able to actually "snag" Pokémon away from other Trainers. Now this may sound bad, but the machine that Professor Krane developed was only designed to snag Shadow Pokémon, and Michael took it upon himself to snag, purify, and save the Shadow Pokémon from the evil clutches of Cipher.

Many battles and locations later, Michael had finally done it; All of the Shadow Pokémon, including the one dubbed XD001, which turned out to be an insanely powerful Shadow Lugia, were rescued and saved. Cipher was no more, and eventually all of the Shadow Pokémon were purified, thus opening thier hearts and letting them be themselves again. With all of that incident said and done, Michael was now finally able to relax. He had let all of the ones that were Shadow Pokémon choose thier own ways in life, thus most disbanded from him or were given to other Trainers to work together with. Lugia especially was thankful to Michael, but it too had to leave. After all, Legendary Pokémon are free spirits, thus they shouldn't ever be captured, or at least that's what Michael and the rest of the Pokémon HQ Lab team thought.

Nowadays, with his partner Espeon, which was his Eevee a long time ago, Michael is taking a nap in his bed, his buddy Espeon curled up next to him keeping him comfortable. He was sound asleep, dreaming about all the battles he had won over Cipher that time ago.

Pretty soon, however, a knock was heard on his bedroom door. Michael fluttered open his eyes and sat up, and his Espeon stretched it's body out. "Hunh? Whuzzat...oh, the door...just a second!" called Michael, still half-asleep. He quickly got out of his bed and put on his usual attire (the same outfit from the game). He then went and answered the door, and it turned out it was none other than his little sister, Jovi, with her little Minun named Mimi.

"Hey, big brother!" said Jovi in a cheerful voice, "You ready to go play with Jovi?"

Jovi was known for speaking sort of third-person-ish, but this really didn't bother anyone in the lab. Michael smiled down at his little sister and patted her head. "Sure thing, kiddo. I just gotta talk to Professor Krane real quick, then we'll go outside and play, alright?" he said.

Jovi giggled and nodded. "Okay! Jovi and Mimi will meet big brother outside! Let's go, Mimi!"

Mimi chimed it's name happily and the two went away, supposedly heading outside. Michael smiled as he watched the two head off. He was glad that everything was back to normal, what with the Shadow Pokémon incident totally over and all. Still, despite that, him and his Espeon continued to train every so often, just like any other Pokémon Trainer would. After giving Espeon a quick brush and clean-up, Michael headed down to see Professor Krane in his office. When he got there, his mother, Lily, was there with Krane as she usually is.

"Hey, Prof! Hey, mom!" said Michael as he came in, his Espeon coming inside behind him and saying it's name in a "hello" fashion.

"Oh, Michael. Do you have an appointment with the professor?" asked Lily. Despite that she was Michael's mother, she still took her job seriously.

"Mom...didn't Prof. Krane tell you that you don't have to be that formal when I'm seeing him?" asked Michael, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, sorry, dear...I just get caught up in my work sometimes." replied Lily.

"So, how are you, Michael?" asked Prof. Krane.

"Doing good. Me and Espeon have been just kicking back and relaxing!" said Michael in a cheerful tone, his Espeon agreeing with him.

"That's all well and good, but you still should go out and excersise. I don't want you and Espeon to get lazy and fat, you know." said Lily.

Michael chuckled. "Don't worry, mom, I give Espeon plenty of excersise and stuff, right, buddy?" he said, looking down at his partner. Espeon nodded and said it's name in agreement.

Lily smiled and patted Espeon caringly, in which Espeon nuzzled her hand in return. "You do take good care of your friends, indeed, my son." she said.

"Yeah, I sure do...oh, wait...um, Professor?" asked Michael, remembering what he came here for.

"Yes, Michael? Is something the matter?" asked Krane.

"Well, nothing's wrong and all, but...I was just curious if we still actually need that Snag Machine anymore...I mean, Cipher's totally gone, all the Shadow Pokémon are purified...what need is there of it?" asked Michael.

Krane pondered on this for a moment, but smiled and answered. "You're probably right there, Michael...you certainly did dismantle Cipher right from it's core, so there just may not be any need of the Snag Machine again...tell you what, I'll discuss it with the other scientists and we'll reach a decision tommorow, alright?"

Michael nodded in agreement. "Thanks, Prof. I think it would be better off if it was dismantled before it falls into the wrong hands."

"You've grown quite responsible, Michael." said Krane.

Michael chuckled somewhat nervously and blushed a bit. "Aww...geez..."

Espeon laughed a bit at Michael's reaction, followed by some chuckles and giggles from the rest.

"Well, I gotta go...sis's probably waiting for me outside." said Michael, pointing out the door.

"Alright, but you two be careful." said Lily.

"Don't worry, mom...if anything happens, Espeon and Mimi can handle it!" said Michael. Espeon also agreed to this.

All of them smiling at each other, Micheal left the room with Espeon, heading outside to play with Jovi. When he got out there, he saw Jovi and Mimi looking closely at a bush. Michael smiled and walked over to Jovi, admiring how she was always a curious little girl. "Hey, sis...what'cha looking at there?" asked Michael as he approached Jovi.

Jovi stood up and turned to see her big brother and smiled. "Oh! Big brother! Jovi and Mimi were looking at some small bugs in the bush!"

"Really, now? Why's that?" asked Michael.

"Well...it's a secret only Jovi knows!" she replied, giggling.

Michael chuckled a bit and bent down on one knee to look at Jovi at her eye level. "C'mon...you can tell your big brother...I won't tell mom or anyone else."

Jovi giggled again and notioned Michael to look in the bush. Michael edged closer to the bush and looked in it, seeing some small insects marching around. No bug-type Pokémon, but rather just normal everyday insects like ants and ladybugs. Michael turned from the bush and smiled at Jovi. "So...what, you made some little friends?" he said, not removing his smile.

Jovi nodded a bit. "Kinda. Jovi does like those bugs, but...Jovi also wonders what it look like from where bugs are."

"Huh? You mean like if you were as small as one?" asked Michael, just to be sure he heard right.

"Uh-huh!" replied Jovi cheerfully, nodding her head, "Jovi sometimes wonder what everything look like from being bug-size!"

Michael smiled at his little sister and got up to pat her on her head. "That's an interesting thought, sis...now you got me wondering what it could look like!" he said with a slight laugh at the end.

Jovi giggled, as did Mimi. "Jovi got big brother curious!"

Michael chuckled and hoisted his sister onto his back for a piggy-back ride, then began running around playfully around the lab's courtyard, Jovi giggling and going "Wheeeeeee!" the entire way. Along with them, Mimi and Espeon followed suit, with Mimi riding on Espeon's back for a ride, both seeming to enjoy having fun together. It was the perfect example of how a big brother and a little sister should act together, and it was clear that the two loved each other very much as family members should.

The two continued some other daily activities, from sneaking over to Dr. Kaminko's Lab to see what crazy, if not pointless, invention was being concocted this time around, to going to Gateon Port to visit Jovi's friend, Emili, and Emili's mother Acri. As always, Acri had quite a collection of stories that she had written, though most of them seemed to have no end, which she was kinda known for. Soon, the day was coming near it's end, and by the time the two had gotten back to the Pokémon HQ Lab, the sun had already set over the horizon. Michael sat there on his idle hover scooter and looked behind him only to see that Jovi had fallen asleep holding onto his back, as had Mimi holding onto Jovi's. Michael smiled, and with some effort, he carried his sister back inside the Pokémon HQ Lab, with Espeon carrying the sleeping Mimi on it's own back, feeling some tiredness itself.

Michael stepped inside and headed to Jovi's room and lied her in her bed, covering her up and making sure she was comfortable. As him and Espeon were about to leave for his own room, he turned his head to look at his sleeping sister with Mimi cuddled up next to her and smiled. "Sleep well, little sis." he whispered, "You're so lucky to have such a caring family like us...just how I'm lucky to have you." With having said that, he nodded slightly and closed the door to his sister's room and headed to his own.

When he got there, he quickly changed into some night clothes and lied down on his bed, his Espeon hopping up there with him. He smiled and patted his partner's head gently. "Y'know, something Espeon?" he asked.

Espeon replied with a slightly questionable tone.

"I was kinda thinking about what Jovi said earlier...about looking at the world from a bug's point of view...I kinda wonder what it would look like..." he said.

Espeon chattered it's name a bit in response.

"What, you think it'd be different?" asked Michael.

Espeon nodded.

"Well...you'd be right about that for sure...everything sure would look bigger...the grass, the trees...my sister..." he said, chuckling a bit at that last part.

Espeon laughed slightly at that remark as well.

"Ah, well...it's an interesting thought, but...then again, it's not really possible to get that small unless you were naturally that way, I guess..." said Michael.

Espeon nodded at that and then yawned and stretched itself out.

"Yeah, I'm tired too, buddy...let's get some rest." said Michael, and with two claps of his hands, the lights in his room shut off, and he and Espeon turned in for the night.

* * *

That night, at some unknown location, four mysterious figures were standing outside a fortified building in a small forest clearing. It was hard to make out who they were, but two characters looked female, around in thier 20's, one looked like a young teenage boy in a trenchcoat, and the last one looked like a really buffed-up character. They were all waiting outside as if something told them to be there, and thier answer was soon given when the buff one spoke up.

"Now look here all 'yas...Cipher may be dead, but we won't allow that, right? There may only be four of us, but we cannot let the Shadow Pokémon project die, ya hear me?" said the buff man in a gruff voice.

"Geez, don't get your hair in a knot, Master Rickardo." said one of the girls, who was wearing a rather interesting outfit...it was red in color and shone brightly in the faint light given by the moon hanging in the night sky. The outfit wasn't revealing in any fashion, but it looked quite dazzling.

"I mean, yeah...it's not like anyone KNOWS we're secretly starting up this Shadow Pokémon Lab, okay?" said the other girl, who wore a similar outfit to the other girl, only blue in color.

The buff one, whom one of the girls called by Rickardo, stepped into the light and revealed himself. "Look, that much I know, but that doesn't mean that we can rest easy, alright?"

"You really are getting overworked over nothing...didn't that kid that stopped Cipher the last time already dismantle the Snag Machine?" asked the other boy in the trenchcoat. He also had a cap and sunglasses on.

"That may be, according to the information you gave me, kid." said Rickardo, "But I don't want this to mess up this time! We have acquired three super-powerful Shadow Pokémon already, and more are scheduled on the way, but that won't be until a few more days."

"Is that right? So, what do we do until then?" asked the boy.

"We just lay low and wait for the time to strike, what else?!" said Rickardo sternly.

"Geez...alright already, I get it. We just lay low." said the boy.

"Tch, I swear...Master always is too high-strung, May-Lin." said the girl in the red, obviously referring to the other girl in blue.

"I agree, Mai-Lin." said May-Lin, who was also obviously referring to the girl in red, "Master is WAAAAAY to high-strung."

"Clamp it, girls, and get back to your posts inside. Just be glad that I'm paying you good." snapped Rickardo.

The two girls huffed at that and headed back inside the complex.

"So, what about me?" asked the boy.

"You just go on to anywhere you want. You keep quiet about all this and you'll get your own Shadow Pokémon when we get another one." said Rickardo, "Now do me a favor and go back to wherever you go to at night."

Having said that, Rickardo snorted a bit and headed back inside with the girls. The boy in the trenchcoat then turned and walked away into the forest. Once he was far out enough, though, he removed his sunglasses and looked around. "Man...that's the last time I try spying..." he said to himself and pulled out his P-DA, typing in a message for an e-mail. When he was finished, he put his P-DA away and ran like his life depended on it through the shrubbery.

"I just hope Michael gets this message soon...this is vitally important!" said the boy as he ran through the darkness.

* * *

The night passed and morning soon dawned again on the Pokémon HQ Lab. Through a window in his room, some light filtered onto a sleeping Michael, making his eyes flutter open. Michael sat up and rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling rejuvinated. "Man...that was a great sleep..." he said, stretching his arms into the air. Espeon stretched itself out too, gave a yawn, then said it's name in a "good morning" fashion.

Michael smiled and patted Espeon on the head. "Morning, buddy! Ready for another day of training and stuff?" he said, smiling at his partner.

Espeon cheerfully chimed it's name and hopped out of the bed. Michael soon followed and got his clothes on, and just as he grabbed his P-DA and turned it on, he heard a tone chime on it. "Huh? Oh, I got E-mail..." said Michael, opening up his P-DA and reading the mail. Here's what was on the screen:

To: Michael

From: Secc

Topic: URGENT!

"Michael, it's me, your buddy Secc from ONBS. I have urgent news! Some loyal followers of Cipher still exist! They got 3 new Shadow Pokémon and are planning on continuing where Cipher left off! I sent the location of their base to Professor Krane, so go and see him ASAP! Please, save those Pokémon!"

Michael's eyes nearly shot out of his head upon reading this. He looked down at his Espeon. "Looks like we still got a few Pokémon to save, buddy...You up for it?"

Espeon nodded and answered with it's usual cry in an adamant agreement.

Michael ran out of his room, Espeon staying close to him the whole way. Little did they realize that Jovi and her Minun, Mimi, heard everything since thier door was open. Jovi looked at Mimi. "We should help big brother, right Mimi?" asked Jovi. Mimi nodded and answered in agreement.

As Michael got to Professor Krane's room, he was panting for air. "Professor! There are..." started Michael.

"Yes, I got the message from Secc a little bit ago." said Krane, anticipating Michael's words, "Seems that he's right, because according to recent reports, two Pokémon have gone missing from a far-off place called Southern Island."

"Southern Island?" wondered Michael.

"Yes, Southern Island." continued Krane, "It is said to be the home of two special Legendary Pokémon, and that they go there to roost everytime this year. However, no one's seen them over recent days, even though they should be there already."

"Darn it...and I thought we had seen the last of the Shadow Pokémon already...wait...that's only two...Secc's E-mail said there were three!" replied Michael.

"He's right...but the last one is one that no one's ever seen around here before...it must be from a very exotic place." said Krane.

"Well, regardless, I guess it's up to me and Espeon to rescue them, right buddy?" said Michael, looking down at his partner. Espeon said it's name in agreement.

Krane smiled at Michael's enthusiasm. "Alright then..." he said, handing Michael the Snag Machine, "We're counting on you, Michael."

Michael nodded and took the Snag Machine and attached it to his left arm. He then put on the device on his head that identified Shadow Pokémon. He was ready to go.

"Alright, Secc told me that the base is hidden up about 20 miles or so north from here." said Krane, pointing to a map on a table. On it was a mark a little north of the lab. "This is where Secc said it was hidden, so you need to go there and investigate, alright?"

"You got it, Prof." said Michael, "It's a good thing I saved a couple of various Poké Balls from the last adventure."

"Be careful, Michael...since you let all the others go, Espeon here is your only Pokémon." said Krane.

"No worries, Prof. Me and Espeon have been training quite a lot, so we'll be ready for anything!" said Michael confidentialy. Espeon agreed as well.

With saying that, Michael went to his room, got his backpack, packed what various Poké Balls and medicines he could, then headed out to his hover scooter...although he was surprised to see Jovi and her Minun, Mimi, sitting on it! "You ready to go, big brother?" asked Jovi.

"Jovi! What are you thinking? This is going to be dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt!" said Michael getting his sister off the hover scooter.

"Aww...but Jovi wants to help. Besides, Jovi has big brother, Espeon, and Mimi to protect Jovi! Please, big brother...please?" asked Jovi, her blue eyes shining in the morning sun.

Michael knew that bringing his sister along would put her in danger, but he also knew there was no resisting that look she was giving him, so he shrugged his shoulders and gave in. "Alright, but you have to promise me that you'll stay very close, and if you see anything dangerous, run and hide, alright?" said Michael.

"Okay, big brother! Jovi will be careful!" she said cheerfully.

Michael smiled and hoisted his sister up to the hover scooter, then got on himself, followed by Espeon and Mimi in the back. He revved up the engine and the small group headed up to the location that Professor Krane pointed out. As they went on up, Michael looked back at his sister, holding onto his back as they sped forward. He began to have second thoughts about bringing his sister along on such a dangerous journey, but even though sh was younger than him, she turned out to be just as reliable, sometimes if not moreso than he was. He smiled and kept going. About 30 minutes later, the two arrived at a forest thick with trees. Michael, Jovi, Espeon, and Mimi all got off the hover scooter.

"Looks like we'll have to go on foot from here." said Michael.

"Um...forest looks kinda scary..." said Jovi, hiding behind her brother. Indeed, the forest's trees looked somewhat intimidating.

"Don't worry, sis...just stay close to me and Espeon and you'll be fine. You said you wanted to help me, right?" said Michael, putting a reassuring hand on Jovi's right shoulder.

Jovi nodded and hung onto Michael's shirt, tagging along behind him. Mimi brought up the rear while Espeon stayed a bit ahead of Michael. The group went through a thicket of trees that seemed to go on forever, but they soon came to a clearing that had a large gray building there. "I think...this may be it." said Michael.

Jovi peered out from behind Michael and saw the building. It looked kinda run-down, but not too frightening in appearence. "Big brother's going in there, right?" she asked, pointing to the building.

"Yep." Michael nodded, "Can you stay here in the bushes while I look for an entrance?"

"Uh-huh. Jovi and Mimi stay and keep watch!" said Jovi. Mimi nodded as well.

"Atta' girl." said Michael, patting her head, "Come on, Espeon."

Espeon agreed and went with Michael tot he building. Michael stayed cautious, as there didn't seem to be any guards around, but Secc had told him in the e-mail that there were only a few survivors of Cipher around, so he wasn't expecting much retaliation. Even then, he remained cautious and soon came to a door. He reached for the handle and grabbed hold of it to open the door, but just as he did, he heard a noise that sounded like machinery. He looked to his left and right and saw two nozzles of some kind aiming right at him! Michael was about to tell Espeon to attack them, but it was too late as the nozzles sprayed some type of gas onto him. It looked blue in color and quickly enveloped Michael. He gasped suddenly, breathingin some of the gas on accident. Just as he did, he began to feel faint and his vision was blurry.

Jovi saw all of this from the bushes and gasped in some fright. "Big brother in trouble! We gotta help, Mimi!" said Jovi to her Minun. Mimi chirped it's name in agreement and the two ran over to Michael, who was coughing and on his knees. By now, the rest of the gas had evaporated into the air.

"Is big brother okay?" asked Jovi as she came to him.

Michael could barely speak, let alone move. He soon fell to his back on the ground and slowly closed his eyes, fainting. Jovi gasped and listened for Michael's life signs...

"Jovi still hear big brother's heart...he probably just sleeping." said Jovi. Espeon nudged it's partner, trying to wake him up, but no luck.

Just then, a faint blue glow surrounded Michael's body. Jovi saw this and quicky got about a foot back from him. She then saw the last thing she thought she'd ever see in her life...Michael's body, for some reason, began getting smaller! Jovi, Espeon, and Mimi all were speechless as Michael's body shrunk smaller and smaller. Somehow, his outfit, Snag Machine included, shrunk with him, so that wasn't a concern, but the sight of Michael's body just getting smaller was an unbelieveable sight to Jovi and the two Pokémon. When it was all done, the blue glow subsided, and Micheal, still fainted, was a mere 5 inches tall, but kept perfect proportion to his new size.

Jovi bent down and looked at her now-diminuative brother. "Wh...what happened to...big brother?" she said quietly.

Espeon looked at it's tiny trainer, who was now even smaller than a Diglett. Even Mimi's 1' 4" size was pretty big compared to him. Everyone just looked at him for a short time, but Jovi soon spoke up. "We have to get my big...er...little brother back to the Lab!"

Espeon nodded and Mimi helped the sleeping Michael onto Espeon's back, who then carried him back to the hover scooter, with Mimi and Jovi following behind. They soon arrived, and though the scooter was a bit big for Jovi, she sat in the seat and started it up. "I have seen big brother drive this, so Jovi can do it!" she said bravely.

Mimi held Micheal down to make sure he wouldn't fall off as the hover scooter carried the four back to the Pokémon HQ Lab. With Michael that size, will he be able to stop Cipher in time before it's remade?


	2. Chapter 2

A little bit later, Michael began to become concious again. His eyes slowly opened as he groaned and held his head. "Oh, man...what happened?" he muttered as he tried to get a look at his surroundings.

_"Big brother?"_ came a somewhat loud, but young, girl's voice.

Michael's eyes shot open and he sat up abruptly upon hearing that voice. He shivered some in fright. "Wh...what was...wait...that voice...it sounded like..."

"_Oh, good! Big brother's awake!_" came the voice again.

Michael gulped nervously as he turned his head towards where the voice came from. What he then saw nearly made him get scared so much, you'd think he was as white as a ghost. From Michael's viewpoint, he saw two large blue eyes and a young girl's face...and that young girl was none other than Jovi. She looked the same, save for the fact she looked a heck of a lot taller now! Michael fell speechless upon seeing his bigger sister's face loom over him.

"_I'm glad you're okay, big...um...little brother! Tee-hee!_" said Jovi, giggling at the end.

Michael remained speechless. His body was telling him to move, but his mind wasn't listening. Jovi just looked at her smaller brother and smiled at him cheerfully, as if nothing had changed about him, despite this dilemma. Michael slowly stood up, noticing that the ground around him was soft and cushiony. As it turned out, he was on his bed, though it looked more like a vast field to him rather than a bed. Michael gulped nervously again, but soon spoke up. "J...Jovi..?!"

"_What is it, little brother?"_ she asked, keeping her smile.

Michael suddenly got the reason why she was calling him that and frowned somewhat. "Okay, Jovi...what happened to me? Why are you and everything else so big?"

"_Big brother got sprayed by some strange gas, and next thing Jovi knows, big brother became this way!"_ explained Jovi in a simple manner.

"Wh..what?!" exclaimed Michael, nearly jumping 2 feet in the air (well, 2 feet to him at least), "You gotta be kidding me! Are you saying that stuff that sprayed me did this?!"

"_Yup! And mommy asked Jovi to watch over little brother until she get back from talking with Professor Krane!"_ said Jovi, giggling.

Michael still had to admit this was a lot for him to take in all at once, but there he was, a mere 5 inches high to his younger sister. He begun to think that the gas that got on him was making him hallucinate, but after a bit, he knew he wasn't. Michael sighed and slumped down onto tthe cushiony surface. "Oh, great...here I am about the size of a doll, and those Cipher idiots are probably out wreaking havoc...how in the world am I supposed to save those Pokémon now?" he said out loud.

Jovi heard Michael and knelt down so that she was eye-level with him. _"It's okay, big brother...mommy will find a way to help. Until then, Jovi will take care of big brother!_"

"I know, sis...but still, I can't help but worry about those Pokémon being used by those Cipher creeps...and with me like this, the Snag Machine is useless..." said Michael. He had a good point there, as with him at that size, the Snag Machine looked like an accessory for an action figure rather than something to snag Shadow Pokémon.

_"Big brother...don't worry."_ said Jovi in a calm voice, _"Mommy and Krane are smart...they'll help. Until then, Jovi will watch over big brother just like big brother has watched over Jovi._"

Michael looked over into Jovi's big blue eyes. He almost swore he saw his reflection in them, but haering the kind words from his sister seemed to have some sort of effect on him, and a positive one at that. Michael then stood up and smiled, looking at Jovi. "Thanks, sis...that means a lot." he said.

Jovi giggled a little. "_Hey, while you and Jovi wait, does big brother wanna play?_" she asked.

Michael always did like playing with his sister, though because of the situation at hand, he seemed slightly confused at her offer. "Um...I'd love to, Jovi, but...how can I while I'm like this?"

Jovi smiled and held her right hand out beside Michael. _"Get on, silly!_" she said playfully.

Michael was unsure about this, and he had no idea what Jovi had planned for "playing" with him, but he shrugged his shoulders and trusted his sister, then with some slight effort, he climbed onto her right hand and sat on her open palm. Seeing his secure, Jovi slowly lifted Michael up and stood up. Michael had to brace himself somewhat from the sudden feeling of being lifted, but was able to maintain his posture on her palm. Soon, Jovi was standing up fully, looking to her tiny brother in her open hand. Michael, who was a bit dizzy from the sudden feeling of being lifted up, looked up at his sister. Without another word, Jovi began to carry Michael over to her room. Once again, Michael had to brace himself somewhat, especially from the sudden feeling of movement. Once he got used to it, though, it almost felt like he was on a carnival ride or something of the like. He had to admit to himself that the feeling was actually kind of enjoyable, as a wide smile spread across his face as his sister walked into her room.

Once in her room, Jovi carefully sat Michael on her nightstand and then giggled as she went over to what looked like a foot locker next to her bed. She opened it and began to rummage through the contents inside. Michael was quite curious to what she had in mind. '_Hopefully it's not something embarassing like dress-up...'_ Michael thought to himself, trying to not think about him being in doll's clothes. Soon, Jovi finally seemed to have found what she was looking for and quickly hid it behind her back, out of Michael's sight. She then walked back over to Michael on the nightstand and smiled. "_Guess what Jovi has behind her back, big brother!_" she said cheerfully.

"Um...well..." Michael said, rubbing his chin a bit, "I dunno, really. What is it?"

Jovi smiled and pulled out from behind her back a toy airplane. _"It's big brother's new ride!_" she said with a hint of excitement.

Michael suddenly got wide eyes seeing what Jovi had in mind. Looking over the toy plane, he saw that the cockpit was perfect for someone his size. He suddenly smiled brightly and with a tiny jump, he leaped into the cockpit, getting securely inside. He then looked to Jovi and put his hand to his mouth. "Krrrch! Pilot Michael to co-pilot Jovi...commence take-off, over!" he said.

Jovi giggled and smiled, seeing her smaller brother enjoy this. _"Ready to take off!_" she said, and with that, she started moving the plane around, making pretend plane noises.

Michael suddenly felt like he was on a roller coaster ride as Jovi zoomed the plane around the room. He laughed like a little kid as she bobbed the plane up and down, though she didn't go overboard and make him fly too fast. "Wow, this is so much fun!!" Michael yelled in excitement.

Jovi giggled and flew Michael outside her room and around. Michael was having the time of his life as Jovi flew him around, but just before Jovi was about to fly into the next room, Lily entered inside and saw what the two were doing. With a sudden stop, Jovi saw her mother and smiled, still holding the plane upright in her hand.

"_Jovi, where is your brother?_" asked Lily.

"_Big brother right here, mommy._" Jovi replied, showing Lily the plane with the tiny Michael inside. Lily saw Michael in the cockpit, sweating some, but smiling happily, even letting out a chuckle or two.

Lily smiled seeing her son was safe. "_I see you two have been getting along nicely while I talked with Professor Krane._" said Lily, getting Michael's attention.

Michael lifted his head to see his mother's face, but he kept his smile. "Er...hehe...yeah, mom. Man, I've never done something like that before! It was so much fun!"

Lily kept her smile. "_Well, I'm glad you're doing alright. Do you feel any different besides your size?_" she asked, looking somewhat concerned.

Michael shook his head. "Nah, I feel just fine otherwise!"

"_Good...that's a relief. Now, then, can I ask that you come with me to Professor Krane? He has something to say. Jovi, be a dear and carry your brother, will you please?"_ said Lily.

"_Uh-huh! Jovi will be very careful with big brother!_" said Jovi, smiling still.

Lily smiled and led the two out of the room and towards Professor Krane's office. Along the way, Michael was having some thoughts as to why Cipher developed something that does what happened to him to people. A way to keep intruders away was the most likely possibility, though he wondered if there was more to it than that. More importantly, was there any way to reverse the effect? He hoped for some answers as the trio entered into Professor Krane's office. Seeing them come inside, Professor Krane immediately looked to the shrunken Michael.

"_How are you feeling, Michael?_" asked Krane.

"Doing fine. Jovi treated me to a ride worthy of a carnival!" said Michael with a smile, still sitting in the cockpit of the plane, which was still in Jovi's hands.

"_Interesting...despite his shrunken state, he seems perfectly healthy._" said Krane.

"_What do you mean, Professor?_" asked Lily, curious on what Krane was talking about.

"_Well, I thought that at that size, Michael would be having problems with his body functions, such as breathing and pumping blood, though he seems to be just fine. From the look of things, everything inside and outside his body has been shrunk to perfect proportion so that he can still live._" said Krane.

"_At least he's alright, besides his size problem._" said Lily, sighing some in relief.

"Mom, you don't have to rub it in that I'm the size of a doll..." said Michael, groaning slightly in disgust at the reminder of his dilemma.

"_I'm sorry, honey...I didn't mean anything."_ said Lily apologetically.

"_I hope you didn't mind, Michael, but while you were asleep because of the gas, I ran some scans on you._" said Krane.

Michael was a little surprised hearing that. "Um...what kind of scans, Professor?" he asked.

"_Mostly like X-ray and infared scans, nothing harmful._" said Krane, smiling reassuringly, "_Anyways, what I found out was quite intriguing...the gas that Michael accidently inhaled contains particles that are the same kind that are used in Poké Balls to capture Pokémon._"

"Wait a sec, Prof...you're saying that stuff has something inside it that is also used in Poké Ball technology?" asked Michael, who was astonished at what he had just heard.

"_Precisely._" said Krane, "_It's the same particles used in not only the capturing of Pokémon, but also in that red beam that fires from the ball itself to return the Pokémon back to the ball._"

_"Well that can answer for the reason my son is like this..._" said Lily, now getting what Krane was saying, "_The particles are used to shrink and contain the Pokémon in the ball so that they're compact and easy to carry._"

"And because of that I'm this size..." said Michael, now fully understanding the whole dilemma. It was then his mind turned back to the Snag Machine still attached to his arm, and the reason why it was, "Professor, I still need to save those Shadow Pokémon!" he suddenly said.

Hearing that from Michael, everyone's attention suddenly focused on that. "_That's right! Big brother needs to save them!"_ said Jovi.

_"I honestly don't see how he can now..._" said Krane, looking somewhat down on that manner, "_With Michael and everything on him shrunk to that size, the Snag Machine is pretty much useless._"

"Oh...I never thought of that..." said Michael, now realizing that as well. He slumped down in the toy plane's cockpit and sighed, "Darn...so until we find a way to get me back to normal, I can't do anything to help them..."

"_I'm sorry, dear...everyone is working hard to find a cure for your problem, but until then, it's best you stay here in the lab under the safety of your sister and the rest._" said Lily.

Michael shook his head and stood up. "No way! I said I was going to save them, and by golly I will!" he said adamantly. Michael then sudenly remembered what Professor Krane had said a moment back, and then had an idea, "Wait a second...Professor, isn't a Poké Ball, no matter the kind, supposed to be able to capture any Pokémon of any size?" he asked.

Krane was sort of confused at Michael's statement, but politely answered. "_Why yes...sure certain types of Poké Balls are specifically made for certain catches, but all are physically made to be able to hold any sized Pokémon inside."_

"If that's the case..." replied Michael, "...then despite the size difference between me and a Pokémon, shouldn't I still be able to capture them, even if the Poké Ball itself is tiny?"

Professor Krane suddenly got a wide-eyed expression on his face from Michael's reply. He thought silently for a few moments, but then answered, "_I...Michael, you're right! How could I have missed it?!"_

Michael smiled, seeing that his teachings had gotten him somewhere. Lily smiled too and patted her son on the head with two of her fingers. _"You are a smart little boy, Michael. You just may make a great Professor someday!_" she said.

Michael blushed and rubbed the back of his head, "Er...well...um...I dunno about that, but thanks...I guess...hehe..."

"_Even so..._" Lily continued, _"...you shouldn't go out there alone. I had a feeling you'd come up with something, so I planned ahead some and called for some help._"

"Help? What kind of help, mom?" asked Michael.

Smiling, Lily responded to Michael's question, "_I phoned an old friend of yours...you should know her...Lin Aragashi._"

Upon hearing that name, Michael went from confused to totally surprised in an instant. "L...L...Lin's coming?! You mean my childhood friend Lin?!"

"_That's right. She's been out training with her Pokémon for about 3 years now, so she'll be a reliable partner for you._" explained Krane.

Michael's head was full of thoughts at that moment. He was about to see Lin, his friend since childhood, and a person he had not seen since she left for her Pokémon journey 3 years ago. He was both excited, though also somewhat nervous, especially considering his current situation. "So...let me get this straight, mom...Lin's coming here to help me get Cipher's Shadow Pokémon back? Well, it'll be great to see her and all, but how exactly is that going to help?" he asked.

"_Well, considering you only have your friend Espeon to fight, making Espeon do all the work would be unfair to it, so having a partner with a full team would be beneficial. Besides, you get to see her again after such a long time._" replied Lily.

"_Lin will be here within the hour, so Jovi, why don't you take Michael and keep him company for awhile until she does?_" asked Krane.

"_Okay! Jovi will watch big brother!_" she said and with that, Jovi carried Michael in her toy plane back to his room.

As the children left, Lily looked over to Professor Krane with a somewhat serious, though worried, look. "Professor...do you honestly think there will be a cure? I really don't want Michael to have to go through all of this for the rest of his life. It'd be such an inconvenience for him..."

Krane shook his head some, though not in total disbelief. "I honestly do not know, but as I said before, everyone's working hard to find a way, and once we do, we'll help him out immediately."

Lily sighed somewhat in relief. "I understand...I'll keep you informed if any progress on a cure comes up." she said as she left the room.

* * *

Back in Jovi's room, Jovi had set Michael down on her bed. Michael was comforted by the cushiony surface, something he didn't seem to realize at first when he was on his bed earlier. Regardless, Michael snuggled up on the soft sheets, which then made him start thinking out loud. "Hmm...I wonder if the Professor and mom are gonna find a cure for me or not..." he said.

"_Mommy and Professor Krane will, big brother. Don't worry!_" said Jovi, keeping her kiddish smile.

Seeing that smile on his sister's face made Michael feel at ease. He sighed contently as he relaxed on the sheets. "Man, and to think that I was only imagining this sort of thing yesterday, and yet now it's really happened..."

"_Yup! Now big brother can see everything from those bug's view!_" said Jovi.

"Hehe...yeah, and I admit, it's an interesting feeling, what with seeing everything so huge to me now...especially you." said Michael, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"_Hehe! Jovi so used to being little sister now, but now she's the big little sister!_" Jovi replied, giggling.

Michael chuckled as well, seeing that despite the size difference, Jovi still showed kindness and caring towards him as a sister should. He then yawned and stretched out his arms and legs. "Maybe a little nap would do me well until Lin gets here..."

"_Hmm...big brother will need his energy while with Lin...oh, wait! Jovi has an idea, big brother!_" Jovi said with some excitement.

"Huh? What kind of idea?" wondered Michael, a bit curious and nervous about what Jovi had in mind. Despite that Jovi was doing well caring for him while he was this size, he still knew many bad things could happen to him if she wasn't careful enough.

To answer Michael's question, Jovi gently grabbed Michael in her hands and then lied on her bed. "Um...Jovi what're you--" Michael started, but was soon cut off as Jovi rested Michael up against her body, more importantly around her chest, covering him with her hands gently. Michael's face weet a beet red as he suddenly was snuggled up to her. "J-J-J-Jovi?!"

"_Big brother always snuggled with Jovi when she was little, so now Jovi returning the favor._" said Jovi, yawning slightly, "_You'll stay warmer with Jovi._"

Michael still was very nervous and was blushing hard from the gesture that Jovi was showing, but soon, he heard a sound in his ear...

_Thump-thump...thump-thump..._

"Hey...I...I can hear your heart, Jovi." said Michael, realizing what the sound was.

Jovi giggled a bit. "_Yup! Jovi always keep big brother right there._"

Michael was at a loss for words. He smiled to Jovi, knowing that she always kept him close to her heart, though this time it was quite literally. He soon felt warmess encompass his body, and he yawned again. "Thanks, sis...just know that I'm always here for ya." he said quietly as the combination of Jovi's body heat and the sound of her heartbeat made him slowly drift off to a content sleep.

Jovi smiled and rested her head on her pillow, thinking back to days past when Michael played with her. She soon fell asleep as well, dreaming good dreams.


End file.
